Branching of the Tree
by DeliciousTree
Summary: The adopted daughter of a Pokemon professor and her companion Twikk seek adventure. What they find is a shocking new relationship between people and Pokemon that will cause turmoil to ripple through the Mantu region. And Team Storm won't be far behind.
1. Telling Tales

_**Ch 1: Telling Tales**_

The pier on Thorset Island was the major attraction on a bright summer day. It was a kid's paradise, boasting the largest ferris wheel in the world (only eclipsed by the wheel in Nimbasa city in faraway Unova) and many other rides and attractions. Children rushed ahead of their parents to try pinning the tail on the Pikachu or guessing the weight of the Snorlax. Two Gurdurrs were competing in a strength competition. Everywhere the smells and sights of the carnival on the pier captivated and entertained.

But one of the strangest attractions on the pier was gathering a crowd near the entrance of the carnival. The crowd on the pier hummed with curiosity and awe as two mysterious figures, one tall, and one small, stood cloaked under long, black capes and hoods on the railing. They stood perfectly still, back to back. Some young children had gathered close to the rail and were looking up at the cloaked figures as if they feared they were about to fall over the edge and down into the waves below. Some women marveled to their husbands as to how the nuts could just stand there in black clothing for so long on a hot summer day without overheating.

The crowd's chatter was silenced as the cloaks flew aside theatrically to reveal a girl, about in her late teens, wearing a harlequin mask with her long brown hair flowing around her in the wind. The other was a small, green creature with long thorny ears and claws wearing the same style mask. The children who had been standing there moments before had nearly leapt out of their skins and ran back to their parents. The crowd gasped and murmurs passed throughout the onlookers.

"If I may ask you curious truth-seekers to please form a semicircular stage in front of where we stand," the girl called above the noise. "As you can see, the position we are in is rather precarious and I'd prefer to have my feet on solid ground for the performance." The people didn't question her, but simply moved back so that a semicircular area had opened up. The pair leapt into the air, linked arms, and spun around, capes billowing out around them like bat wings. They landed softly, arms still linked. Bowing gracefully to the bewildered audience, the girl took up a dominant pose in the stage area and began to speak in a somber voice.

"Good day residents and tourists to Thorset Island. My name is Cassandra Lemuria. And this is my brother, and performing companion, Twikk. We are tourists ourselves," The green creature bowed again and revealed a shining white smile. "You may have guessed that Twikk is indeed a Pokemon and could never possibly be my brother. By blood, no we are not. But in spirit, we may as well be."

"I've never seen that Pokemon before!" a child from the front of the audience said to his mother. Cassie heard the comment and turned to the side of the crowd it had come from.

"Ah, well I'm not surprised. Twikk is nearly the last of his kind. We were both orphaned at young ages, I when I was only seven and he as a small Pranch," she explained mentioning her Pokemon's pre evolved form. "A group of humans destroyed his family's home. Human cruelty resulted in their rarity, and their near extinction." Twikk made a slashing motion across his throat and several children flinched. A few parents frowned disapprovingly at the performance. Several walked away to take their kids to the more friendly, predictable carnival.

"If you wanted to go out and catch your own," Cassie continued drawing her cape up to her chin, "you would have to search all over…Hmm…where is it again you lived, Twikk?"

The green Pokemon grinned as he heard his cue. He spread out his cape and leapt in one great bound to stand on the top of Cassie's shoulders. "I lived in the forests of the mainland of course!" he boomed proudly.

The audience went wild. No one had expected this Pokemon to actually tell them where he lived on his own! A larger woman towards the back of the crowd fainted. Whether it was from heat exhaustion or from pure shock, Cassie couldn't tell, but she was pleased with the reaction all the same. The little kids who had run away earlier had returned to the front to see if this Pokemon was for real.

"That's right!" she declared. "Twikk isn't just rare. He's gifted. Most Pokemon can understand human speech, but very few can learn to speak it." She showed the audience her empty hands and flashed her cloak's inside. "I am not a ventriloquist, nor do I have any tape recorders on me. Twikk has a highly developed brain and thinks much like you and I do. He learned to speak from me much like a human child would."

Twikk cut her off in her speech to prove that he was indeed speaking on his own. "Yes, truth-seekers! I'm real. I have a tongue, brain, feelings, attitude, dreams, intelligence, desires. Everything!" Cassie could see several teen boys who looked like young trainers hovering around another who had a Pokedex. They were glancing over their shoulders and shaking their heads. They obviously had never seen anything like this. "Plus, I have dashingly good looks," he added with a smile.

"But," Cassie interrupted the conversations going on in the audience, "are you all ready for the tale he has to tell?"

Twikk and jumped down from Cassie's shoulders. "I have a story to tell the truth-seekers and trainers among us. And maybe you regular folks can learn a thing or two also." He removed his mask to reveal a grave face. "It might just be the most important thing you hear in your life."

The green Pokemon jumped up and landed once again on the rail while Cassie sat down cross legged, beckoning the smaller kids forward into the semicircle so they could see better.

"This is a legend my family told amongst ourselves for generations!" Twikk roared. He then took in a deep breath and blew a cloud of shimmering spores out of his mouth. The cloud hung sparkling in the air as Twikk took one claw and slashed away at the shining mass until a shape had appeared. One of the kids in front recognized it.

"It's Arceus!" he exclaimed pointing at it.

Twikk smiled and nodded at the shimmering form of the ancient god. "Arceus, the creator of all Pokemon, created one Pokemon to be the ancestor of all others. In the most ancient of times Arceus was said to have shaped the world with his thousand arms. But once he had made the world, he became lonely." Twikk took another breath and this time exhaled green spores in the shape of another Pokemon. "Mew," he said pointing to the shimmering pink Pokemon. "While Arceus shaped the lords of time and space, land and sea, night and day, they were unchanging, not alive. Mew, the ancestor of all life as we know it, lived many years with these powerful beings while the world remained barren and unchanging. Dead." He began swirling the spores together until they mixed together in a circle. "Legend has it, Mew laid eleven eggs, the ancestors of each domain on the planet. The plants, the bugs, the ocean creatures, the land dwellers, those blessed with flight, those born from the earth, those who were monstrous, those who were tiny, those born from strange circumstances, the mighty dragons, and the humanshape"

Twikk blew the spores into a firework of glitter. "These eleven Pokemon quickly populated and ruled the world. To this day, nobody knows who these ancient descendants were, as it is not even mentioned in the legends. The descendants of Mew lived in harmony for thousands of years.

"Mew had brought life to the planet. However, legend goes that one of the great beings Arceus created became jealous of the power given to Mew the favoritism Arceus exhibited towards her. So one day, he tilted the balance in favor of one group of decendants – the humanshape."

"Sad as it may seem," Twikk emphasized, "none of the greats did anything to stop the violent upheaval of Mew's creations. The changing conditions of life as it was became life as we know it. Each of the great ones was able to take control of the world, while Mew, ashamed and betrayed by her brothers and creations went into hiding, never to be seen again."

"And this is the story we tell!" Twikk shouted, startling several people who hadn't been paying attention. "How we see the balance of the world is much different than how you do. But in the end, it is we who see you as being from the same line, brothers."

The crowd was silent after Twikk finished speaking. A little girl in the front row was being comforted by her friend, tears streaming down her face. Cassie noticed her discomfort and glanced at the look on her companion's face – one of anger and despondency. Several faces in the audience let her on to the reason behind Twikk's anger. They shook their heads, frowned, and fanned themselves in the heat, bored by what they saw as a moral lesson for children.

"But hear this," Cassie added in desperation to calm Twikk's anger. "Although this is only a legend, take heed to the lesson of this tale. Be aware of your family and friends. Strive for harmony in your relationships. Thank you for watching."

Cassie stood up and threw her cape away from her right hand. In it, she held a small glass jar that had the word 'tips' scrawled on it with marker. "Thank you for stopping to see our performance. I hope you enjoyed it."

She didn't expect the applause and flood of change that came at her that very moment and she was almost trampled by people wanting to ask questions and the overflowing tip jar.

"Okay!" she shouted leaping up onto the rail, tucking the tip jar safely into her cape. "I'm sorry, but I will only take questions and comments from the children ten and under today. Everyone else can come back tomorrow before our next performance." Cassie removed her mask and wiped off a bead of sweat from her forehead as most of the crowd left. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she knew that they were probably more interested in Twikk's ability to speak than what he was actually saying. They chattered to each other excitedly. She overheard one of the teenaged trainers in a black leather jacket talking to his friends nearby.

"I'll bet she's a ventriloquist," he said nonchalantly. "The whole thing looked like a big magic show. They're obviously poor street performers. You know, like the freaks who perform in the inner city. If that Pokemon's so rare, she probably stole it from some rich guy."

"But you heard the girl. She said they were like family. If he was acting, he was very obedient," muttered a girl who was holding her Pokedex up to her chest.

The boy in the jacket simply laughed. "They're actors, sweetheart. Useless. I'll bet she hasn't had a real Pokemon battle with that green thing before in her life."

Overhearing the whole thing put Cassie at her boiling point, but before she could shout anything profane to them a small girl tugged on her cape.

She looked to be about six and she had a small purple birdlike Pokemon at her side. Cassie recognized it as a Cassobane. She'd spent a lot of time with her favorite pair that Professor Lemuria kept at his lab. The little girl's appeared to be young as it was so small and adorably cute.

"What can I do for you, miss?" Cassie asked. The girl looked shy and she was blushing visibly.

"Could your Twikk make Cassie shimmer?" she asked hopefully, shuffling behind her little Pokemon. Cassie had to laugh at how she's worded the request, but she knew what the girl wanted. She turned to ask Twikk if he was willing to make some more cotton spore artwork today, but he was already over his bad mood and eager to ham it up. Twikk made a great show of concentration as he huffed and puffed pretending conjuring the spores was a huge challenge.

The little girl believed him and shouted words of encouragement. "Come on Twikk! You can do it!" she cheered.

Finally, the green Pokemon screwed up his face looking like he was trying to prevent and enormous sneeze, but to no avail. He sneezed blasting a cloud of silver, purple, and gold spores in the shape of the little girl's Cassie. She giggled with delight as Twikk smiled and bowed wiping his nose with a claw as he did. Even the little Cassobane seemed to be delighted.

"Thank you!" She crouched down to look at Twikk. "I really liked your story, Mr. Pokemon."

Even Cassie was amused with how easily it was to make her happy. But Twikk was positively beaming from ear to huge floppy ear. Before the girl turned to go, Cassie put a hand on her shoulder. "You're very lucky to have a Pokemon friend at your age. I can tell you two will be together for a long time."

"Oh, don't worry. I take really good care of him! We're best friends. Thank you!"

"Feeling better now?" Cassie asked Twikk as the little girl ran after her parents down the pier. She threw the hood of her cloak back on and started walking away to the pier's exit.

"Marginally," he replied. "Are we going back to the hotel already?" asked Twikk running to keep up with Cassie's larger, human strides.

"Yeah. Dad told us to be back around four. And besides, it looks like rain on the horizon," she said glancing back at the dark clouds that were forming over the distant ocean.

Twikk slowed his pace to look over his shoulder. "Hmm, my enhanced Pokemon instincts tell me that it won't rain until about six. Can't we go do something fun for a change?"

Cassie stepped onto the sidewalk that began the long winding ocean side trail back to where their hotel was. She knew one thing that always got Twikk to stop whining.

"So you'd rather go out and _spend money_ instead of going home and counting the load we made today?" she baited taking the jar out of her cloak and dangling it in front on Twikk's face.

A green flash blasted from behind her and all of a sudden, Twikk and the money jar were in front of her.

"Race ya home!" he called, taking off down the beach.


	2. Discovery

**_Chapter Two: Discovery_**

As Twikk predicted, the rain came around six o'clock that afternoon in a quick thunderstorm. An hour later the heavy part of the storm had let up and all that was left was a light trickle that ran down the sliding glass doors that lead to their hotel room's balcony.

Cassie and Twikk lay facing each other on one of the hotel beds. The TV was turned on to some local news station reporting on the Hoenn stock market, but neither was paying attention to it. The card game at hand was holding their interest more strongly.

Twikk rolled over onto his back and hummed thoughtfully, holding his hand of cards up to his face. "Got any threes?" he inquired.

Cassie had her head perched on the palm of her hand and was staring blankly at the wall. She snapped out of her daydream only when Twikk's spiny ear slapped her on the side of the head.

"Hey," he repeated impatiently. "Do you have any threes?"

Cassie sighed and glanced at her hand of cards. "I think you're laying on it."

Twikk slapped his cards down in the scattered fishing pile for their incredibly boring game of go fish. "Cassie," he whined, "Go fish is no fun if your opponent doesn't answer you. What's up with you?"

It was probably nothing, but she was feeling a vague sense that something was out of place. The hotel room wasn't usually empty when they returned home. "It's six o'clock," she stated.

Twikk was much more vocal about the oddity. "Yeah, where are Dad and Isaac with the Chinese food? They said they'd be back from the lab an hour earlier with it. I'm starving!"

Cassie shrugged it off and stood up stretching. She walked over to the glass door to look out over the ocean view. The sky was dull grey from the horizon to the bustling beachside section of Thorset Island they were staying in. The Professor, whom even Twikk affectionately referred to as Dad, and his young assistant Isaac hadn't had as much time to enjoy the city as Twikk and she had. They'd come to the city to do some research at the Thorset Satellite Center and were busy for the past few days they'd been here, whereas she and Twikk had come along for the sightseeing. It had been nice getting out of the cramped lab in Sevenstar for a while, but the two researchers had been staying out at the lab later and later every night.

"Maybe they decided to stop by the satellite center before everyone left for the night," Cassie suggested. Her eyes strayed to the beach where several surfers were taking advantage of the waves the storm had blown in. Further down, there appeared to be a small Pokemon battle taking place. Cassie could have sworn she'd seen a sign that forbade battling on the beach.

Twikk lay back on the bed, tapping the remote control with his claws. "The center was closes at 4," he corrected, displaying his capacity for habitual memory. "Whatever it is, I hope they hurry up. I can't wait to dig into a carton of chop suey!"

"Of course you'd be worried about your stomach," Cassie mumbled. "They're grown adults and can take care of themselves just fine. It's probably just taking them awhile to make it back through the city."

"That's right. Now shuffle this deck of cards. I want to play poker," he said nonchalantly. The cards were slipping through his claws sending the deck scattering across the bed. "Er…maybe 52 pickup instead?"

Cassie didn't expect Twikk to be worried. He was always so easygoing when he felt nothing was wrong. But Cassie on the other hand had a much more uptight and worrisome attitude about her. Simply shaking the nagging feeling that something might have gone wrong wasn't as easy for her. She twirled her hair between her fingers, and looked nervously at the room door. "I'm going to take a shower," she announced. "If they aren't back by the time I get out, we'll assume something's wrong. Okay?"

Twikk simply nodded giving up on the mess of cards and engrossing himself in an old black and white movie he'd found playing on TV.

But by the time Cassie had gotten out of the shower her tenseness and worries evaporated with the steam. She could smell food and hear the voices of Isaac and the professor talking like nothing was wrong. Quickly, she dried off, put on some sweats and a light tank top, and wrapped the towel around her wet hair.

She opened the door to see Professor Lemuria sitting at the hotel room's desk, sipping some egg drop soup straight from the container. He saw Cassie come out from the bathroom and set the soup container down. His glasses were fogged up from the steaming food.

"Cassie! At least I think that's you," he said, lowering his glasses to get a better view. "Ah, of course it is you. Haha. Here, have some lo mein. I had to save you some otherwise your _sweet_ and _selfless_ Pokemon would have eaten it all."

Twikk was seated on the bed with his face tucked inside a cardboard container full of chop suey. "Sorry," he murmured through a mouthful of bean sprouts. "Hungry."

Cassie smiled and shrugged. "Thanks, Dad," she said grabbing a pair of chopsticks and the foam container that held her portion of food. Sitting next to Twikk, she took a bite and asked what had been the hold up.

The young man sitting on the edge of the bed opposite them was the one to answer. "The story is quite fascinating actually," Isaac said brushing his long curly hair out of his eyes. His face was conquered by an impressive amount of acne, but it was far from making him an unattractive person.

The professor nodded. "Isaac's very excited about this. It could be his first real discovery while researching in the Mantu region. And I'll admit, it's still pretty exciting for me, too," he added with a wink.

Cassie felt herself sharing the same excitement as Isaac. She always got this way when her adoptive father talked about his scientific breakthroughs. To anyone else it would seem geeky, but she'd grown up with these people for eleven years and they were more than used to sharing the same interests among each other.

"So what is it? A new discovery for sure? A new Pokemon species? Another planet?" She rattled off everything she imagined could be creating such a buzz between the two scientists.

Isaac shook his head. "Nope. Probably even better. You see, for the past few days we've been at the satellite center studying mainly the oceans through satellite images. I worked for a semester at the Hoenn Weather Institution when I was in college, so the scientists were glad to call your dad and I over here to give a second opinion. They weren't going to release it to the press or embark on any marine studies unless it was true, but they thought they spotted a massive pod of Wailmer traveling from Hoenn toward the waters of Thorset Island. And they suspected that if this was true, then weather patterns may have been causing the mass migration."

Twikk's eyes widened. "Why on Earth would they come here all the way from Hoenn?"

"We had the same reaction," the professor said leaning back in his chair and folding his hands. "We phoned researchers from the Slateport Oceanography Museum in Hoenn to see if they'd noticed anything unusual with their Wailmer pods, but they said everything was fine. The Wailmer who resided off the coast there were happy with their environment, evolving, and even breeding. Despite Slateport being an oceanside city, the waters are in pristine condition. Slateport has strict regulations on its water cleanliness. All weather conditions were normal as well.

"Well, since that was to no avail, some of us continued calling all the coastal cities in Hoenn while others in the satellite center began searching the ocean slightly beyond where the Wailmer pod was first sighted."

Cassie chewed her lo mein in thought. "What's so special about a Wailmer pod anyways?"

"Wailmer are mammalian Pokemon and they breathe air, just like land Pokemon and even humans. This is the family of Pokemon we are most similar to in our own genetic design, if you can imagine that. Because of this similarity, if a Wailmer pod begins a mass migration, then that is a major warning sign that something in the area could be just as dangerous to humans as well, such as rapid climate change or potentially dangerous water conditions in an area," Isaac explained. "So it's only natural we were rushing to find out where the reported pod had migrated from. And after we'd gotten fruitless calls over three days from all the Hoenn oceanographers, we'd given up hope that the pod had even existed at all."

"Maybe they all died," Twikk suggested. Cassie smacked him across the snout and glared. "Well it could have happened!" She winced a bit and rubbed her hand from smacking her spiky Pokemon, but her interest was at its peak. Was something bad happening somewhere?

"Twikk's actually right," Isaac said. He stood up and started pacing the length of the bed slowly. "Which brings us to tonight. We had left another day at the center disappointed and hopeless. But I was forming some theories in my head. What if it wasn't a Wailmer pod they had seen?"

The professor chuckled. "You should have seen him pacing like a madman in the Chinese restaurant. He was scaring the other customers."

Isaac cleared his throat. "Yes, well the idea hit me as we were leaving and I told the professor I wanted to go back to the lab and take a look at the image they'd shot of the pod. We had a spare key so it was fairly easy to get in and look at what we needed to…"

"And?" Cassie urged as Isaac trailed off obviously to build suspense.

"I discovered that it wasn't a pod of Wailmer at all," he said grinning from ear to ear. He was obviously bursting to say this. "It's a landmass!"

Cassie tried not to show the disappointment on her face. She hoped it would be a more earth-shattering discovery, but Isaac was thrilled, so she faked a smile. "That's great! But how did you spend three days searching without finding it again or figuring out it was really an island?"

The professor shrugged. "It didn't resemble what we thought we were looking for. Even scientists can make stupid mistakes."

"Although," Isaac added smugly, "we did manage to track the major pods of Wailmer in and around Thorset Island and the rest of Stormpoint bay and it seems that in the past few days several of the pods have made quite a bit of headway out of the bay. So I've come up with another theory. Perhaps this landmass is where the Wailmer rest before heading north to Hoenn. I have a feeling that most of the pods in our seas right now are not native to Mantu."

The professor tossed his empty container into the trashcan and leaned back in his chair, satisfied. "Ah, yes. But the current hype is truly over this unexplored island, naturally, as it's been untouched by humans. And of course Isaac is getting the credit for the discovery." The two scientists were absolutely glowing with pride and Cassie laughed as they high-fived like teenage boys.

She turned to Twikk to joke with him about the professors, but he appeared lost in thought, an unreadable expression on his face. Cassie could see it wasn't the time to disturb him.

"Does that mean we're going to stay here longer while you discuss it with the other researchers?" she asked. "I don't mind," she added quickly as the professor opened his mouth no doubt to apologize about the delay. "I'm really excited about the discovery. I like Thorset Island. There's a lot to do here and at least you come back to the hotel at night."

Isaac laid a hand on Cassie's shoulder. "That's not quite the case," he began. "We've already contacted the researchers. They figure it's better they continue satellite work on this themselves now that they know what they're really looking for. The center was getting kind of crowded with all of us researchers running around."

"So we're going back home to the lab?" she asked figuring that her suggestion wasn't the case either. The professor shook his head.

"The satellite lab paid us a generous amount for our help and," he took a deep breath, "they've arranged an expedition to the island to scout the area and research what's there."

"That's great!" Cassie exclaimed leaping up. She gave a great bear hug to Isaac, thrilled at the prospect of adventure to come. "When do we leave? I'll start packing up as soon as you say."

Both scientists were silent. The rain spattering the windows was all she could hear. Cassie could sense something wasn't right with this seemingly perfect situation. "What?" she asked cautiously.

Professor Lemuria stood from his chair and sighed. "Cassie, can I have a word with you out in the hall?" She stood also and followed the professor out into the hall, a ball of dread forming in her stomach.

The professor ran a hand through his short gray hair after he'd closed their room's door. He looked nervous and lost for words, two things the professor never was.

"Cassandra," he said calling her by her full name, "your eighteenth birthday is only a few weeks away. I had a feeling this talk would come up soon enough." Cassie felt an uneasy tenseness between them that she'd never felt before. "You have proven to me and the entire world over that you are a more than capable young lady. I've always been proud to call you my daughter."

Cassie felt her throat tighten. Ever since she'd started living with the professor, she'd hardly ever thought of her real parents. Yet at this emotional moment between her and the man she'd viewed as a father for so long, she could see their faces forming clearly in her mind.

"Many young people these days choose to follow their parents' footsteps in life. Your parents, as I'm sure you knew, were both great people in society. Your mother was a great nurse whom I had had the pleasure of meeting after I'd broken my leg on the job. And your father," he said with an almost wistful note in his voice. "Was a rising star among the world of Pokemon trainers."

She stared at the ground as her dad's face burned bright in her brain. "He was on his way to the Pokemon league he told us."

"Indeed he was," echoed Professor Lemuria. "Cassie, I'll understand if you want to follow in his footsteps. The life of a Pokemon trainer is rugged, tough, and grueling, but it appeals to most young people. Every trainer I've met tells me the hard work pays off in the end." He smiled, but Cassie could see it was empty. "You're a very intelligent girl. I know you'll succeed at whatever you try. I'd like to see you happy, no matter what you choose to do."

She caught the point of the confrontation now. Cassie knew so little about the life of a trainer except that it involved fighting. She'd always wanted to do something she knew she could succeed in. The professor obviously thought that she'd want to begin the path of a trainer and in doing so, leave him, the lab, Isaac, and everything she knew behind to follow her father's path. Maybe it would even mean leaving behind Twikk…

"Dad…" she began, searching for the words she wanted to say. "I just want to say that I am proud of what my parents did in their life, but I know only one thing in this world now. And that's that I want to know everything about it." She felt tears threatening to leak out of her eyes. "I want to be like you and Isaac. I want to learn to be a scientst."

Without warning the professor exclaimed his excitement laughing and grabbing Cassie in a bone crushing hug. She too joined in the laughing and hugged him back.

"I could see you wanted to do this ever since you taught Twikk how to speak," he sobbed. "You have a gift, Cassie. You are incredibly smart. I'd hate to see you waste it in any way."

"So can I come with you on your trip?" Cassie asked eagerly. "There's no better way to get started!"

The professor shook his head. "Listen, Cassie. I'm giving you and Twikk the pay from the work at the satellite center. I want you to stay here. Pay for your stay at the hotel, food, anything else you need. It should be enough for two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Cassie blurted, her happiness fading. "You want me to stay here for two weeks? Alone?"

"Maybe not that long. But I just don't think you should come with us on this exploration. I know you're eager, Cassie, but we don't know what's on this island. It could be dangerous." The professor took Cassie's hand. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

She felt numb. What could she say? She couldn't argue with him. Not after what they'd just talked about.

"Okay," she said mechanically. "But what if something happens to _you_?

"Don't worry about me," he said with a smile. "When it comes to dangerous situations, I've handled a lifetime's worth. It's Isaac I'll need to worry about. He studied rocks before he met me. Rocks!" He opened the door with his room key and slipped back inside chuckling. Cassie indicated she would remain in the hall for a few minutes longer and was left alone in the quiet passage way.

For some reason, Cassie didn't feel as disappointed as she thought she should have. Maybe it was because she was twirling her hair and thinking. She knew she couldn't just take no for an answer. Not after the conversation they'd just had and not when this was the perfect chance to start studying new things. This was a once in a lifetime chance and she wasn't going to let the professor tell her she couldn't experience it. In the next four minutes, she formed a plan and couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Cassandra Lemuria was going to stow away!

* * *

So here's the second chapter! I apologize if anything is getting confusing or hard to follow. I understand that stories involving new regions and Pokemon can be annoying and that Pokemon that can talk are an overdone cliche, but I'm not promising that this will be all that different or unique. I would just say give it a chance. You'll get used to it. If you need some help visualizing the characters or regions, I have a few links to drawings of the Pokemon that will be appearing and a full map of the region available.

Thanks for reading if you did! And I would like some feedback on how I'm doing. Some questions to answer: Is the region believable? Are the characters personalities developing well? Is the plot moving too slow or too fast? Let me know what you think and I promise it will help me improve your story-going experience overall.


	3. Stowaways

Chapter 3: Stowaways

Cassie spent the next few days before the professor and Isaac would leave for their expedition feeling tremendously guilty. Partially because of the praise and proud smiles she'd been receiving from the professor lately. Hearing words like, "I'm so glad you are responsible and trustworthy girl," made her nervous and edgy. It was almost like he knew exactly what to say to make her so upset she'd be on the verge of chickening out. She knew she was going to betray his trust to the highest degree if he ever found out that she was planning against his will. She'd twirled her usually curly black hair into frizzy knots thinking about it.

Twikk was far from afraid of betraying the professor's trust. In fact, he hoped they would get caught. Once he'd caught word from Cassie that they weren't allowed on the mission, he'd raised his thorns up straight in anger.

"If Dad thinks he's leaving us behind to sit in a stupid hotel room for two weeks," he'd snarled, "he's mad! If he catches us stowing away – and I hope he does – he'll realize that he can't just leave us out of his life when things get dangerous."

"I don't think that's what he's intending to do, Twikk," Cassie sighed. "He just wants the best for us."

Twikk grabbed her face between his claws. "Hey, I can feel your guilt telling you what to say. You're thinking the same thing I am. We gotta prove it to them that we're capable. I know that's what you want to do, too!"

Cassie sat in silence, knowing that Twikk was right.

In order to talk over the plot without the risk of either the researchers overhearing (the professor and Isaac spent days at the desk in the hotel room talking of expedition plans) the pair had spent more time strolling the city, Twikk trying to calm Cassie's nerves, and Cassie repeating the plan endlessly so they wouldn't forget any of the little parts. They eventually spent most of their earnings on things Cassie claimed they needed if they were going to hide on the research ship in secret. So far, they'd accumulated two hoodies for possible cold weather, an old hand-held transistor radio to check for possible storm conditions, and various non perishable foodstuffs in case the research vessel's kitchen was not accessible to them. Cassie had hidden them under the bed so the professor wouldn't get suspicious about all the new purchases.

"Let's see…water! We'll need bottled fresh water! How could I forget that? Since we'll be stowing away in the cargo bay we probably won't be able to get to the ship's galley for food or water without being seen," she'd exclaimed passing by a grocery store front one day. Twikk, who had been sitting on her shoulders exasperated with his companion, rolled his eyes.

"Okay, tell me. If we can't get to the galley, then how do you expect us to get to the head?" he'd asked sarcastically.

Cassie thought hard for a moment. "What's the head?"

Twikk raised an eyebrow. "You know…"

The realization came to her and the gears started turning at this new problem. "Well, we could find some buckets and-"

That was where Twikk drew the line. "That's it, Cassie. You're making yourself sick with worry and there is no way I am relieving myself in a bucket for who knows how many days. Can't you just accept that we can't prepare for everything?"

"I'm sorry," she sighed as Twikk jumped off her shoulders. "I don't know what's coming over me."

Her Pokemon shrugged. "I've never known you to be the troublemaker. Because you know that's my job. Nobody can do my job better than me, but since you're trying so hard, I think I should give you some tips on how to bend the law and get away with it."

"You can't be serious-" Cassie began, but Twikk interrupted her.

"Take a walk with me and I'll teach you the art of rule breaking," he said marching off down the sidewalk waiting for Cassie to catch up. "Rule one. The only thing you will ever need on a forbidden cargo bay voyage to an uncharted island, is me." He waved pleasantly at a passing man who was now looking back over his shoulder in astonishment at having heard a Pokemon speak.

"Rule two. Tell yourself that what you're doing isn't as bad as it is made out to be, because – let's be honest – it's really not. It's just 'helping without an invitation!' That's to get through without the worry. Like those guys," he said motioning to three shady looking kids across the street smoking around a wall with a sign that said 'NO LOITERING' in huge red letters. "They look pretty calm to me."

Cassie just expected their calmness had something to do with whatever substance they were smoking because she wasn't feeling any better. Though it wasn't the kids who caught her eye, but the shop they were leaning against. She stopped walking to examine the shop's window. In it there were many cages, glass displays, and aquariums arranged in an appealing setup. In the cages were various, colorful species of bird Pokemon, some she didn't recognize. They must not have been native to Mantu. Other displays held young Pokemon. Cassie recognized a few. There were two small Amiroru biting at each other's long ears. In another she recognized a litter of Daodog puppies and their regal-looking mother, a Daolist whose tail was shining with a bright purple mist. In a smaller glass tank, she saw several eggs sitting under a red glowing heat lamp.

Mezmerized, she glanced up at the name of the shop; Benson and Jay's, The Shop for Trainers! She stepped closer to the edge of the sidewalk to try and get a better view of the various signs outside the store. It looked like they were having a sale on Pokeballs and anyone who bought more than fifty dollars worth of merchandise could get a free Pokemon egg. The slogan over the promotion's sign read 'What's inside is a surprise!'

Suddenly, Cassie felt a feeling of longing as she viewed the Pokemon in the shop's window. But she didn't want to be a trainer. She'd told herself and the professor that wasn't the path she wanted to take in life. Then she had felt so sure, but now…

Almost robotically, her hand moved to her jeans pocket where she kept her money.

"Hey, Cassie!" shouted Twikk tugging the sleeve of the arm she was about to stick into her pocket. "Do we have any money for ice cream? I found this parlor around the corner that has over 34 flavors." Cassie reluctantly tore her eyes away from the shop window.

"Uh?"

Twikk eyed her suspiciously. "What are you looking at?" he asked scanning the shops on the opposite side of the street.

"Erm, nothing," she said quickly taking a ten dollar bill out of her pocket and holding it out to Twikk. He was still giving her a suspicious look. "It's honestly nothing. I thought I saw one of the stoner kids picking his nose is all," she said with a smile. Twikk's ears shot up straight with mischevious excitement.

"No way!" he exclaimed leaping up on Cassie's shoulders to get a better view of the loitering rule breakers, hoping to see some serious gold-digging action.

"Yes way," Cassie said breathing a silent sigh of relief that he hadn't asked about her brief obsession with that shop window. It would probably break his heart if he thought she was thinking about replacing him with another Pokemon. "Let's go get that ice cream."

When had she become such a liar?

At last, Friday had arrived and Isaac was the first up that morning. Cassie usually slept rather lightly so she'd opened her eyes at the first sound of Isaac's cell phone's Static X ringtone. She decided not to get up yet as a quick glance at the clock revealed it was only five in the morning and she didn't want to disturb Twikk who was sprawled out on top of the sheets next to her.

Isaac groaned and caught the call on the last part of the screaming lyrics. "'lo?" he drawled sleepily sitting up in bed. He was silent and Cassie could faintly hear someone talking from the other line. "Uhuh," Isaac mumbled every so often. "Really? You have it?" he said in a much more excited voice. "Okay, we'll be ready. Thank you so much, Preston! Tell them we'll be at the marina at seven AM, sharp! Bye." She heard him flip his phone shut and just barely after he set it down on the nightstand he let out a loud whoop of excitement.

So much for me not trying to disturb anyone, Cassie thought amused as the rest of her roommates awoke with a start. Twikk jumped up so fast that Cassie was almost nailed in the face by one of his thorny ears.

The professor had turned on the light to find a half naked Isaac dancing around excitedly in nothing but his boxers. Before anyone could ask a question, Isaac gushed it all out in a jumbled up sentence.

The professor grabbed his glasses from the bedside table and frowned. "Shh, you could wake the dead with the racket you're making. And what did you just say?"

The young scientist stopped his joyful dance but stood smiling from ear to ear. "Preston from the satellite center just called. They have our coordinates."

"Oho!" exclaimed the professor leaping up from the bed and joining Isaac's dance wearing his lilac sleeping gown.

"Scientists are weird," muttered Twikk, flopping down on the pillow again.

Cassie was just as excited. "You said you'd be at the marina at seven. Does that mean you're leaving today?"

"Not exactly at seven," said Isaac hastily grabbing a grey t-shirt that was hanging off the bedpost. "Preston also said that once they knew it was an island and obtained the coordinates that they contacted the local news center. They want to interview me and the professor before we set off."

"Excellent," said Cassie forcing a smile on her face. Twikk had turned his face to her on the pillow and was mouthing the word 'perfect' and barely hiding a smile. Her heart fell as she realized why it was so perfect. They'd have plenty of time to hide themselves on board while the two giddy researchers were busy with their interview. Cassie had little reason to celebrate at the moment, but she tried to act as happy as she could as they talked back and forth about the expedition plans as if it were schoolyard gossip.

The next hour was pandemonium as the two men frantically searched for and gathered up their possessions and dressed themselves. Isaac was a nervous wreck about appearing on TV in front of the entire population of Thorset Island and ripped through his suitcase looking for something to wear. The professor tried to reassure him by saying, "Forget it! Just wear that gray t-shirt. Nobody's going to care what you look like on the research boat." Twikk snickered at the professor and his frenzied excitement. Isaac just glared, but threw on the shirt anyways.

Cassie had trouble trying to pack the same amount of things the professors had into her small traveling backpack. She'd managed to squeeze the two hoodies and three other pairs of clothes into it without anyone stopping to ask her why. Once the two men had dashed into the bathroom to shave was when she attempted to stuff the radio and food into the already crammed bag. Twikk kept watch at the edge of the bed, but when he glanced back he could see Cassie's efforts were hopeless.

"Here," he whispered temporarily leaving his post to throw the radio and several food items back under the bed. "That's all the food we'll need."

"What?" she hissed looking at the meager rations her Pokemon had left in their bag. "That's hardly enough for two days!"

"Trust me," Twikk hissed back. He performed a quick last check of the room to see if they missed anything useful as Cassie threw on a pair of jeans and one of the hoodies to make room in the bag for the few useful items Twikk had found laying around. A packet of matches, a pen and a pad of paper, and a few plastic cups.

"And this," he said tipping a small red and white ball into Cassie's hand.

"A Pokeball? Twikk, this is probably one of Isaac's Pokemon! He'll be a mess if he thinks he lost it!" Cassie hissed wildly.

Twikk shook his head. "It's empty. I checked. I don't know what you'd need it for, but pack it in case." To Cassie's surprise, it fit neatly inside the overstuffed bag. Just as she finished zipping it, the professor and Isaac burst back into the room and grabbed their bags.

"We have twenty minutes to get to the marina. You're coming with us?" the professor asked.

"Yeah, we wanted to be there to say goodbye," she lied. They had no time to question her honesty because before they knew it they'd headed down to the front desk to tell the receptionist briefly that they were leaving. The receptionist wasn't there. Instead her Smeargle sat with its black-inked brush tail in hand wearing the same style glasses as the large, ill-tempered woman who normally occupied the chair.

When the professor explained, flustered that they would be leaving the hotel for a few weeks, but Cassie and Twikk would be occupying the room during that time, the Smeargle merely lowered its glasses, then waved its hand dismissively while writing something down on a pad of paper.

It took only a moment to throw the suitcases in the trunk of the professor's white SUV and they were off almost before Isaac was in the door. He sat panting with the terror of nearly being dragged onto the main road with his legs dangling out of the car. Traffic was light that early in the morning. The sky outside was rapidly turning from a grey blue to bright yellows and pinks as the sun rose. The ocean glowed red as the sun reflected on its surface.

They made it to the marina in record time, mainly because of the professor's dangerous driving. Cassie and Isaac jumped out of the car, eager to be back on solid ground, while Twikk had dug his claws into the seat in terror and found himself stuck. Isaac grabbed the luggage out of the trunk as the professor stood near the seawall and searched the mass of docks and moored boats for their vessel. "I found it!" he called waving and pointing to and impressive sized boat moored near the wharf's office. The news crew appeared to be there already and was setting up their reporting equipment around the ship.

Cassie helped un-stick Twikk's claws from the seat and grabbed her backpack.

"So, now what?" Twikk asked flexing his claws.

Cassie stepped out of the car and began walking after the professor. "We survey our options I guess," she said. She was extremely nervous. Walking was difficult – her legs felt like jelly.

"Don't worry," Twikk reassured patting her hand. "I'll see what I can do. I'll go take a look at the ship and see if there's any place we can crawl on. All you have to do is go over to where the news crew is and when you get the chance, say goodbye to the professor and give him some story on why we both have to leave early. Got it?"

Cassie swallowed hard and nodded. She was getting good at lying lately. This should be a piece of cake.

The professor and Isaac were standing on either side of an attractive looking female reporter whose smile looked too bright to be natural. She could see sweat marks forming under Isaac's sleeves but he looked like he was grinning and talking perfectly natural. Cassie strolled casually onto the dock behind the reporters where she could survey the scene without getting in the way. Further down on the dock, there were other men and women who looked extremely scientific chatting among each other. Another man who was incredibly huge and unshaven wore a hat that indicated he was the captain. Just beyond where she was standing was a boy leaning against the railing who looked to be slightly older than her. His hair was blonde and messy. He wore a letter jacket and was chewing a toothpick between his front teeth. He was watching the interview with much interest.

"Hey, you look familiar," came a voice from next to her. Cassie nearly jumped out of her skin. One of the technical men for the news crew stood there looking shocked at Cassie's reaction. "Sorry," he apologized quickly. "You must be the professor's kid, so there's no way you could be related to the person you reminded me of."

"Oh, I'm adopted," she explained not expecting such a confrontation. "My real parents died a long time ago. The professor took me in when I was young."

The techie suddenly looked excited. "Then you must be related! You look exactly like a man I used to know. Bryan Hewett? The rookie Pokemon trainer who swept the floor with the regions gyms in under a month? You must have heard of him at least."

"Oh yeah." Cassie frowned. "That was my dad."

"Oh, I'm very sorry. It's too bad. About his death and all," he mumbled. "He was a really invincible guy. So I take it you want to follow your father's legacy? Gonna be a bigshot trainer and go for the top? Talent like that has got to be genetic."

Cassie felt her anger bubbling up at this man's cocky presumptions. "Yeah? What makes you assume?" she snapped. The boy who was leaning on the railing turned his head in their direction. "Just because he did what he did in his life doesn't mean I'm going to do the same. This is personal. You didn't really know my father and you certainly don't know me!" Cassie decided not to take the discussion any further and stormed off the pier to the calls of, "I'm sorry!" from the confused man. She was positive she'd caused enough commotion for the professor or someone to notice it looked like she was leaving. She prayed they wouldn't follow her and discover where she was really going.

Cassie stood on the seawall, looking at her reflection on the waves. Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to decide what I want for myself, she thought. She remembered the day the Pokemon shop had caught her eye. Was that what it felt like when your destiny was calling to you? Did it try to suck you back in if it felt you were going in the wrong direction?

"Cassie! Cassie!" hissed a voice from above her. Twikk stood on the bow of the ship, waving wildly to get her attention. "I found a way in, but we have to move fast while everyone's distracted asking questions. Do you think you can climb up here?"

Cassie looked up. The bow of the ship was about three feet above her head. "If I stretch my arms out and you pull me up enough to get my feet on the eye hook just underneath, I think I can pull myself up."

"Fair enough," said Twikk, stretching his arms down to take Cassie's. He struggled to lift her up until she got to the point where she could climb up herself. Once up, she ducked down on the far side of the bow so the people on the dock couldn't see them. Twikk led the way as they crawled their way down to the back of the boat. One after the other, they slid onto the main deck where a long plank was set up from the dock to the boat. Just below that there was a hatch open on the ship.

"We go down there?" Cassie whispered. "Is it a long drop?"

"I don't expect so. Otherwise they wouldn't be throwing luggage in it as recklessly as they did." Twikk motioned toward the hole. "After you."

Cassie hung her legs over the edge for a moment, but found herself touching a suitcase. She easily lowered herself onto it and slid into the main cargo hold. It was big and not too crowded with luggage. As Twikk dropped down into the luggage compartment, he grinned. "Not too shabby. Look, we even get windows." Sure enough, there were small porthole style windows lining the walls of the hold. "I have no idea why suitcases would need to admire the view of the ocean, but it worked out okay for us. Everyone sleeps in under deck rooms more towards the bow of the ship."

Upon exploring the underbelly of the ship more, they found a ladder that folded down from the floor above them that must have been used to get the luggage out without the help of a winch. There were also several extra mattresses that were old and smelled kind of funny. As time passed only a few more small bags were thrown into the cargo bay and the hatch was eventually closed. Cassie's heart was pounding with nervous excitement. She nearly had a heart attack when she heard the ship's engines start. The boat lurched as they started to back slowly out of the marina.

"Well," Twikk said happily pulling two bottles of water from a small bucket next to him and tossing one to Cassie. "I propose a toast to both your evil plan gone right and my amazing ability to find what we need," he gloated indicating the bottles of water. They unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

"I admit, that went smoother than I thought," Cassie said. "Did the master of thieves find anything to calm my nerves and keep us occupied after we pulled this off?"

"Look in that Pokeball I made you bring," he said nonchalantly, leaning back on his mattress he had set up beside a floral printed suitcase.

Cassie unzipped her backpack and took out the Pokeball. She pressed the white button on the front and a jet of red light shot out of it, leaving a glowing red form on the floor of the cabin. Once the light had faded, Cassie stared stunned at what had come out of the Pokeball.

"A deck of cards?" she asked blankly. Sure enough, there sat Twikk's deck of cards, small and unimpressive on the floor.

"Up for some go fish?" he asked hopefully.

Cassie couldn't help but laugh. She was here and there was no turning back now. Why not make the most of it? Besides, if destiny hadn't wanted her to do this, it wouldn't have let her. Right?


	4. Tension

_**Chapter Four: Tension**_

Cassie awoke feeling rather ill the next morning. She brushed her hair off her face and rolled over onto her side to try and lessen some of the nausea and to her surprise she found that Twikk was already awake. Cassie could make out his shape in the dim light that was filling the cargo bay through the porthole windows. He was lying on his back with his arms wrapped behind his head, staring at the ceiling, his face expressionless. The green Pokemon looked to be in deep thought.

She tried not to disturb him as she sat up from her mattress and attempted to stand up. Unfortunately, her lightheadedness got the better of her and she was forced to sit back down with a thud.

Twikk didn't flinch, but merely glanced at her. "I didn't know you were up," he said turning his gaze back to the ceiling. As if reading Cassie's mind, he grabbed a bottle of water and tossed it to her without saying another word.

She gratefully opened the water and took a few gulps, easing her nausea slightly. The two sat in silence as the gentle rocking of the ship and sound of the engines told them they were still en route to the mysterious island. Even as Cassie stared fixated on her Pokemon, she tried to imagine what he could be thinking about. Maybe he really did get it into his head that she was thinking of replacing him. For the last time, she screamed at herself in her mind, I do not want to be a Pokemon trainer! I won't abandon Twikk for anything!

"What kind of Pokemon do you think will be on the island?" Twikk suddenly asked out of the blue. Cassie stared dumbly, totally surprised at his question.

"Is that what you're really thinking about?" She clasped at her midsection as her stomach gave a slight lurch and groaned. "That's unusual," she grunted.

Twikk didn't respond. Cassie almost thought she'd said something offensive and was about to apologize before he blurted, "The professor said nobody had ever set foot here. No humans." That might not be entirely true, Cassie figured.

"Maybe someone else found it before Dad, but didn't tell anybody," she suggested. Twikk's face fell noticeably. She asked "Why?" when she thought she knew exactly the reason. Once again, Twikk beat her to the question.

He turned his face to hers. "Do you possibly think…that my species…some of my family could still…live there?" Cassie felt an unpleasant feeling in her gut that had nothing to do with her illness. How would she answer this kind of question?

"It is possible," she said. "But I can't promise anything."

"Really?" exclaimed Twikk sitting bolt upright. "I hope so. I wonder what they'll be like, having lived so long without ever seeing humans."

Cassie just nodded as a new wave of nausea overtook her. She lay back down on the thin mattress moaning and curled up with her knees to her chest.

Twikk stood up next to his mattress stumbling a little. He growled regaining his footing. "Is it just me or is the ride getting rougher?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Cassie groaned. Beneath her, she could feel the boats gentle rocking getting slightly less calm. She hadn't been on boats much in her life, but she'd just remembered how seasick she had been the first time she ever went on one. She'd been too nervous beforehand to remember that. Plus Twikk had stopped her from buying Dramamine just in case.

Twikk had assembled two suitcases as a step stool so he could look out one of the portholes. The rest of the luggage had been stacked in a kind of wall around their mattresses so that anyone coming down into the cargo hold would most likely not see them if they were to venture down there. He stared out the small window for at least a minute before jumping down again.

"Nothing to report really," he said. "The clouds are dark for noontime. There's a storm in the distance, but I think the only way it will affect us is by the waves it's generating." Twikk flashed a look of concern at Cassie. "They seem to be doing a pretty good job with it, too."

A sudden clanging noise from where the hatch to the hold was made both of the stowaways jump. They quickly pressed themselves as close to the back of the luggage as they could. Twikk made the 'shh' sign with his claw and listened. The hatch screeched like nails on a chalkboard as it was slid open. They heard someone jump down through the hole and land with a grunt.

Whoever it was made no move to be quiet while they were down there. They yawned loudly, stomped around as if looking for something, then stood silently for what seemed to be thirty seconds.

"Okay, I know you're down here. Keeping quiet about it isn't going to help you either," spoke the voice from directly behind the suitcases where Twikk and Cassie were hiding. Twikk held the 'shh' sign up again. The voice she heard was undoubtedly that of a male, but not Isaac nor the professor's. Did someone really know they were on board?

The male sighed. "It's extremely obvious you and your Pokemon are hiding behind those suitcases," he drawled, as if he was playing a pathetically boring game of hide-and-seek. "If you're afraid I'll tell your little daddy and his friend that you snuck on, don't worry. I won't say a thing."

Cassie widened her eyes in horror at Twikk who was shaking his head so ferociously that his ear spikes were slashing up the suitcase he was leaning on. Someone did know they were here! Plus they knew who she was. Cassie felt sicker than ever.

"Or if you don't want to come out…" the voice started to threaten. Cassie heard a noise that sounded like a Pokeball letting out its contents. "I'll let Manny drag you from hiding and you'll be discovered," he concluded with a dark satisfaction.

Almost exactly as he finished, Cassie stood up, climbed over the suitcases and stood in plain view of the boy, followed by a very reluctant Twikk. She was surprised to see a familiar face standing there across from her in his letter jacket, a smug looking Mandlewick at his side.

"Hey, I was right, Manny!" the boy said smiling down on his Pokemon who was scraping its hooves on the floor and shaking its mane. The ram-like Pokemon had graffiti drawn on its horns and was lashing its two flaming rope tails in a satisfied manner from side to side. "They are the performing nut jobs from the pier. If it isn't Cassie Lemuria," he said waving his hands and imitating her dramatic speech, "and her talking freak Pokemon. Looking a little pale there, Cassie. Can't handle the sea?"

Twikk snarled and made a lunge for the boy who backed up a step grinning twice as wide. Cassie grabbed him and pulled him back struggling and growling for blood. "Do you want his Pokemon to toast you?" Cassie whispered.

Twikk stopped struggling, but still kept a furious glare on his face. "What's up his rear?" he hissed to Cassie, but she was much more concerned that they'd been discovered.

"Who are you and what gives you the right to treat us like scum?" Cassie demanded.

The boy walked over to the wall where the suitcase stairs had been set up and leaned on it. His Pokemon followed and sat obediently by his feet, eyeing Twikk hungrily. "If you must know, I'm the skipper on this ship. My father is the captain," he said lazily. "In other words, this is my ship, and I refuse to have filthy stowaways on my ship." He chuckled slightly. "You thought you got on this boat without anybody seeing you? Well I did. You're just lucky that I didn't turn you in sooner." He turned his back to leave, Pokeball in hand ready to call Manny back.

"So you lied to us?" Cassie called after him. He froze.

"Me, lie to you? Oh no, you're the bad guys here."

Twikk shook his claws advancing toward the retreating boy. "You said that if we came out you wouldn't say anything!"

The blonde boy simply turned and laughed. "Oops. Silly me. But then I'd be the one in trouble, now wouldn't I?"

Twikk roared with anger and launched himself at the boy's Mandlewick who had had its back turned. It saw the attack too late and was quickly bowled over. A tangle of red and green was thrashing on the floor.

"Manny! Stop it! If you blast a hole in this ship, dad's gonna kill me!" the boy exclaimed running to try and separate the two fighting Pokemon. Cassie felt a wave of excitement flow through her as she watched her Pokemon rake the other across the back with his sharp claws. She felt suddenly determined and powerful. She wanted to win. She would show this kid that she and Twikk weren't just pushovers. The urge to be the victor was overwhelming.

The boy had fire in his eyes and Cassie felt as if she'd been burned when he looked at her. "You stupid girl! If you want to fight dirty, then I'm willing to play along." He refocused on the quarrel and shouted, "Manny! Show the talking freak the power of fire!"

Twikk had gotten the thrashing Mandlewick pinned on its back to Cassie's surprise. But to her horror, at the boys command the Pokemon suddenly stopped thrashing. Twikk seemed to be aware of something she wasn't and leapt backwards right before Manny's chest heaved and he expelled a jet of flame from his mouth.

"Not so brave now are ya?" the boy taunted as Manny got to its feet looking angrier than ever. The fire Pokemon was fast and showed no warning as it suddenly charged at Twikk with its head lowered, prepared to ram.

Twikk stood there, staring down the enemy as it charged him. Cassie's heart pounded in panic as she prayed for him to do anything to protect himself against this attack. Come on, she urged in her mind. Do something!

"Twikk! Rake him down the side with scratch as he passes you!" The command issued out of her mouth seemingly unbidden and Twikk was just as surprised about it as she was. So surprised that he turned his head with a puzzled expression, which gave enough time for Manny to slam its horns dead-center into Twikk's chest. To Cassie's horror, her Pokemon flew across the room and slammed into the wall of suitcases.

The boy laughed cruelly as Cassie ran over to help her Pokemon. Twikk looked only dazed by the attack. He slowly raised himself to a standing position and glared back at his enemy. "Don't worry about telling me what to do. I can handle this myself."

"But trainers are supposed to give their Pokemon commands in battle!" she whispered indignantly.

Twikk looked as if he'd been slapped across the face. "Trainers? But you're not a-"

He was interrupted abruptly as the boat lurched violently to the side, knocking everyone off their feet. Cassie slammed her shoulder on the floor and slid, scraping a generous amount of her bare arm. She winced from the pain and sat up, bewildered.

"What on earth was that?" the boy yelled. He was thrown against the side of the boat and was shaking his wrist that he'd twisted in the fall. They could hear yells from up on deck. He immediately leapt to his feet and dragged the ladder over to where the hatch was. Pulling out his pokeball, he recalled Manny who was cowering with his head down after the hit they'd taken. "I'm getting up on deck in case we hit a rock or something. You'd come too in case we sprung a leak. I don't want to be blamed if the professor's precious freaks drown."

Cassie simply stood rooted to the spot. "No way." Leaving would mean they would be discovered. Plus, this jerk didn't have the right to give her orders.

"You've got to be kidding!" he exclaimed waving his arms wildly. "You'd rather drown than get in a little bit of trouble with your daddy? You really are mad!"

Her mind was changed as the boat was again hit by something, this time from the rear. These weren't waves or rocks they were hitting. Cassie's feet once again flew out from under her. The boy was more prepared though and managed to keep his footing. He wasn't taking no for an answer now and ran over pulling Cassie to her feet.

"I'm not going to have anybody die on my ship!" he barked in her face. "Get up on the deck before that Pokemon decides to ram us again!"


End file.
